DEL MAR, Calif. (AP) Larry Collmus will announce Del Mar’s summer meet starting in July, substituting for longtime time announcer Trevor Denman.
Denman told Del Mar officials that because of health concerns involving the coronavirus pandemic, he and his wife didn’t want to travel from their Minnesota farm to the San Diego area. Denman, 67, is in an age group that is at higher risk for COVID-19.
Collmus, 53, announces the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup for NBC Sports. He will call Saturday’s Belmont Stakes in New York, where he used to work at the New York Racing Association’s three major tracks until being replaced in January. Collmus previously worked at Del Mar when the seaside track hosted the 2017 Breeders’ Cup.
Denman, who has called every race at Del Mar since taking over for the late Harry Henson in 1984, told Del Mar officials he would return for its fall meet set to run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 29.